The game is not the same - to its cost

Two-time AFL premiership captain

If you had to recall your favourite moments from footy, what would they be? Are they the screamers you’ve seen, the epic contests between teams and individuals, seeing a power forward kick his 100th goal or even seeing a bit of blood spilt on the field?

It’s all part of that great debate: Is our game better now than the ''good old days'' of the 1980s and '90s.

Never before has there been such debate about AFL and whether it needs fixing. Has it lost its way? Have we implemented too many new rules? Are the players just getting more skilful? Most importantly, are the fans happy?

Perhaps the best place to start is with a footy flashback that I saw on television last week.

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It was focused on Gary Ablett snr and it was truly breathtaking. Sure, Gazza was a genuine freak of the game, but I believe he epitomised the basics of what made our code the greatest sport in the world.

Not only was Ablett a supreme athlete, but he was a specialist of the big mark, both in one-on-one situations or flying over a pack for a screamer. He’s the kind of guy that lured fans to a game and gave them those ever-lasting memories.

Is there anyone like Gazza playing today? Lance Franklin might go close in terms of pulling power, but who else? I could reel off 20 onballers the likes of Gary Ablett jnr, Joel Selwood, Luke Hodge and Scott Pendlebury that give us our fix of weekly highlights, but the game also needs to produce its special moments - the pieces of play that make all fans talk and will be replayed for years to come. The question is whether today’s game allows that?

For example, will we ever see another player kick 100 goals in a season? Franklin was the last to do so and wasn’t it just fantastic to see him swamped by fans when he nailed that century.

Buddy’s hopes of replicating that feat appear unlikely in today’s game, which is beginning to feel like a hybrid of rugby union, basketball and soccer.

While there is no doubt that the game is more physical and that teams are getting better at playing keepings off, it’s the rugby-style mauls that seem to be the biggest problem.

I actually wonder what our friends in New Zealand will make of Friday's Anzac Day clash between St Kilda and the Brisbane Lions. Almost everyone outside Australia used to call our game aerial ping-pong. Will the Kiwis be thinking the same after Friday's match, or will they be bragging about the fact that we are now copying their main code?

Mauling across an AFL field is unattractive and if we deviate from entertaining crowds, then we have definitely lost our way. After all, the game should be for the fans.

Of all the ideas that could better the brand of footy we’re witnessing, changing the minimum distance that a kick must travel in order to be marked could just be the answer. Players use the current 15-metre minimum to effectively get out of jail in tight situations and slow the play. If we pushed that minimum distance to 25 metres it could really change things.

It’s highly likely that teams would be pressured to kick to more contests which invariably would lead to more contested situations in the air, potentially resulting in players maintaining an even spread around the ground. It would also add to the pressure on players’ skills.

The domino effect could also be profound. If players are maintaining a greater spread around the ground - and effectively remaining in their positions - then what would that mean to the type of footballer needed?

Would we see players bulking up again? Would we see more one-on-one contests? Would we see the return of the power forward and power defenders? Would we just recruit footballers instead of athletes? Would we see more high marking? Would we see bags of 100 goals in a season?

I’m sure that I’m not alone when I say, ''I wish''.

85 comments so far

Just a game of scragging now, played by big kids.Only a matter of time when the rugby style mauling will see a player permanently maimed.

Commenter

Scragging Game

Location

E Gippsland

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 6:44PM

Nonsense...AFL is nowhere near as tough a sport as League or even Union anymore.. As a sports fanatic I feel really let down by AFL these days and I am continually puzzled by the penalties for illegal contact - most of which are absolutely so soft as to be ridiculous. At the moment AFL is a sport for runners, not footballers - just look at how many shocking misses there are when kicking for goal nowadays, most NRL goal kickers have success rates of 80-90%- go figure...

Commenter

Soot

Location

sydney

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 9:14PM

@Soot. We call them free kicks, mate. Back to thugby league with you.

Commenter

Jmac

Date and time

April 25, 2014, 8:29AM

Many years ago I saw a truly great player crash through or over pack to take a supremely great mark. He was able to change the result of the game. In his early days you could see the potential, and it was wonderful to see him develop. He supported and was supported by players of strength, capability, drive and lack of fear. His name was Wayne Carey.

Commenter

Mike

Location

Park Orchards

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 6:44PM

Wayne, I like the idea of the 25m minimum for a mark to be paid but what about where a team kicks backwards no mark is paid and it is play on? Continual chipping backwards does as much to harm the image of the game as does the 'rolling maul'.

Commenter

Groucho

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 6:46PM

For years I've had three simple rule changes which would sort all of this out. Carey mentions one - increasing the kick to 25m - I don't think I'm alone there. You raise my second change and that is any backwards kick in the back half is play on. The third is actually to remove the wings (like so country and suburban leagues do) so as its 16 on the field. Bring the bench up to 4 and 2 subs. This would complement the kicking changes proposed to help the play remain fast throughout the game.

Commenter

DJCJ

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 7:24PM

@DJCJ: I'm glad you've added in the back half. Kicking backwards at the other end, especially in the 50m zone, is sometimes a pretty intelligent move by an unselfish player.

Commenter

M

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 9:10PM

I agree that something needs to change.

The game just isn't as exciting as it once was, though I think increasing kicks to 25m might inflate the use of handballs instead of kicking to contests.

Thoughts?

Commenter

Will

Location

Hawaii

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 7:05PM

The players are so proficient at hand balling these days, they can handball as far as the current minimum kick for a mark. Therefore increase it to a minimum 25 metres for a mark to be paid for a kick, otherwise play on. This may actually make the backward kick to kick tactic to be harder to do also. Consider not allowing kicking backwards in defence. I also think we have to many teams. In a few years say 2016 spilt the comp into two divisions. The top 10 teams from 2015 play in Division 1 from 2016. They have a final 4 play of. The bottom 8 form Division 2 and play final 4. Bottom 2 teams are relegated each year from Division 1. Top 2 teams from Division 2 relegated. Each team in each division, plays each other twice. They try and work in state of Origin each year

Commenter

Go Blues

Date and time

April 25, 2014, 3:33PM

I agree with Wayne, but players like Lockett, Abblet, Dunstall and of course Wayne would have probably kicked 100 in todays game - they were THAT much better than the players around them. Especially Lockett - I cant imagine a full back who would hold him in todays game.